Guy Wins $5.15 Million Jackpot, Other Guy Unplugs Slot Machine
If you've ever been in a serious casino, then you've seen the gigantic slot machines off in the corners (the ones that only accept large-denomination bills). These machines usually have something like spinning cars on top or giant screens showing millions and millions of dollars counting up all the time. Such a machine was precisely the type that Illinois attorney Alvin Paulson put a $20-bill into while on vacation in the Virgin Islands. To his surprise, it lit up and started spitting out quarters -- that is, until a casino worker unplugged it and said it was a malfunction.
The machine was showing a $5.15-million jackpot when Paulson fed his $20 bill in there, an awfully big payout and an awful lot more than the $100 and a free meal that the casino offered him for the supposed malfunction. The casino has yet to offer any proof of said malfunction and Paulson is, naturally, suing the place for either said proof or the $5-million prize.
We wish him the best of luck.
From FARK.com and KSDK
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 30)
andreas vasiadis @ Feb 29th 2008 1:46PM
it happens to me at mohigans sun in ct 4 years ago same thing unplug the machine i lost 52.000 quarters but i am not a lawer so i shut it up pc after that day that machine disapear from the casino
andreas vasiadis @ Feb 29th 2008 1:47PM
it yhappens to me too at mohigans sun but i am not a lawer so i lost 52.000 quarters
keri @ Mar 1st 2008 10:29PM
Somethings not Right there, wonder what employees cut is for doing that?
Daniel Gaunt @ Mar 2nd 2008 8:33AM
Hope he wins the case, Casinos rely on peoples addictions to earn fortunes, anything that will force casinos to shut down will be good
http://freeextras.blogspot.com/
http://lifeorsomethingnotquitelikeit.blogspot.com/
Tom @ Mar 2nd 2008 8:52PM
If I find out which casino would do that...I'm not going in and neither are any of my friends. They desverse to payout DOUBLE if they voluntarily interfer in a jackpot...which is a contract between the player and the casino. Abusing that contract can result in a substancial penalty either way. If it happened in Las Vegas, their license could be threatened.
Philip Richards @ Mar 2nd 2008 11:20PM
I don't know, nor do I care what casino reneged on the $5 million jackpot. IT's a two way street,all casinos milk the slot machine player all the time, so pay off no matter what was supposedly wrong with the machine. Casino's have no right to make a decision AFTER the slot is paying off ! ! ! ! ! !
Legal Eagle.
Peter @ Mar 3rd 2008 12:59AM
Not right at all. I'm sure they will be smart and settle out of court.
michelle @ Mar 3rd 2008 1:57PM
this guy should definitely get to keep the money. the greedy place unplugged the machine because they didn't want to pay up! give him the money!!!! and to the guy who lost his quarters here, well you should also get an attorney especially since you are not one and get your money back. people gamble based on the rules provided. gambling rules do not include whether or not you should or should not get money when you do win on a machine.
Janet @ Mar 3rd 2008 4:45PM
Malfunction??? The only malfunction is the scruples of the casino attendant pulling the plug! Just so happens the malfunction was at the precise time this guy won the jackpot? Yeah, that's believable. I guess this guy's luck was a malfunction for the casino. It's like a child knocking over a monopoly board because he is losing the game. I hope this guys wins he suit for more than the slot was paying out.
George @ Mar 5th 2008 3:05AM
Ohhh Please ... That poor shmuck of an Amulance Chasing Attorney ... Machines with that size of a win DON"T spit out the $5 million + in cash. It shuts down and the "call attendent" light comes on and they get people to verify it. Sure the machine disappeared ... They removed it to fix it and find out what went wrong. No high conspiracy. Believe it or not but casino's love legitiment big payouts. The free publicity it garners pays for itself. Slot machines are the worst net in any casino at around 87% payback or less. For every $100 put in they pay back $87 ... Even the few machines that advertise 97% payback the casino still takes $3 for every $97 of $100 put in. Alvin be happy with the $100 you got and the free meal ...
steve @ Mar 5th 2008 7:48AM
People, Please! The progressive jackpot is not paid out in the hopper or spit out in quarters. It is paid by the machine manufacturer and only after verification. The machine clearly says on it, malfunction voids all plays and pays. Everything is recorded on surveillance film for review. If this happens to you, call an attendent or staff member right away. Even if the machine starts dumping coins, it cant dump any more than what is in its inside hopper. So the story is absurd. Ask anyone who plays slots.
Keith J. Mohrhoff @ Mar 5th 2008 8:22AM
Such things would NEVER happen in Vegas or Atlantic City. Once the house accepts the bet, they MUST accept the outcome--unless the 'malfunction' was a result of tampering by the bettor.
Lady @ Mar 5th 2008 9:34AM
Read very carefully. A $5.15 million dollar jackpot will NEVER come out of a slot machine in quarters. I am surprised this story made it past an editor and on to the web. Even a novice slots player knows that there won't be any quarters coming out for a jackpot that size.
DOVE @ Mar 5th 2008 1:08PM
MALFUNCTION, I THINK NOT ! IT IS THEIR MALFUNCTION AND THEY NEED TO PAY UP. I SURE THE LAW STEPS IN HERE AND MAKES THEM PAY THE MAN.
wakeup! @ Mar 5th 2008 3:25PM
An attorney getting ripped off. Is there any irony in this story?
james @ Mar 5th 2008 3:28PM
If that ever happens to me they are gonna have a whole lot more to unplug and besides that machine has an internal action resource that records every thing that machine does and for it to malfuntion is gonna be recorded and as for the casinos loss oh well they will have to pay this man something in the end but it could take up to 4 yrs and Im sure that mans life will be in dire danger for the entire duration so whats a mans life if he gains the whole world but loses his soul.Enough said?
Stacey Boaz @ Mar 5th 2008 3:45PM
B.S. Give that man his money! The casino's don't get a free ride, just like anybody else!
david hubbard @ Mar 5th 2008 3:45PM
i was on a carnival ship years ago out of galveston. it was our first cruise i do not gamble but i did go into the casino one morning after i awoke and stopped to put a few silver dollars in a big machine. then after i had put in only about 20.00 worth which is my limit for gambling. the damn thing went off and i hit it big the attendant came over and verified my winnings and then the cruise director and captain came down and told me it was a malfunction. as you can imagine i was very upset. when we got to our next port we were sent a letter to our room asking us to remove our belongs and we had to find our own way home.
we only had a few minutes to pack when some big foreign men in ships uniform came to our room and escorted us off the ship. we were lucky we had enough on our credit card to get us home safely. i can't even remember the name of the ship now i think it was the celebration a dump of a ship anyway we are not rich and have to save several years to go on a cruise.
aaron @ Apr 14th 2008 9:20PM
that's a shame that that happened to you. you should've sued them for every penny they had.
Susan @ Mar 5th 2008 3:47PM
Must be a slow news day! Security tape will show what really happened....